James Whitner Responds to Allegations Regarding Money Laundering Investigation
and owner James Whitner has responded to the allegations surrounding his alleged involvement in a money laundering scheme. News of the civil forfeiture complaint broke earlier today, but the Whitaker Group maintains that they have been working closely with the government on the matter and abided by tax laws. Whitner is not facing any criminal charges.
Given the company’s strong roots in the community, Whitner took to social media in order to share a statement:
‘The recent action by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina (USAO) comes after significant cooperation and good-faith negotiations on our part. To be clear, while we take the allegations in the complaint seriously, they are unfounded, unrelated to our business or this community and unjustified. Our professional inventory management team runs a transparent process built on systems that are both legally compliant and consistent with industry standards. We have also complied with all tax obligations annually.
We have been a staple of the global business community for over 20 years, operating over twenty locations and employing over 250 employees across the country. Our work has been dedicated to helping people of color tell their stories and build a legacy of excellence. That work is now under attack, despite our best efforts at productive engagement with the USAO.
We disagree with the USAO’s allegations concerning our business and remain appreciative of the extraordinary support our vendor partners have shown and continue to show throughout this process. Our success has made us an easy target caught in the middle of a U.S. financial and regulatory war with China of which we have no part in.
We look forward to defending our business and operating model while continuing to proudly serve the communities that have embraced us over the last 20 years. This complaint will not deter us from continuing to tell our stories and build a legacy of excellence and we will continue to vigorously defend our businesses and all that they contribute to culture, commerce and the community.’